In lieu of an annual dancing event, DeKalb County officials will host a donation drive at the end of the month to assist domestic violence shelters.
The donation drive will replace the “Dancing with the DeKalb Stars” event, which is organized by Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling’s office. Since the gathering can’t take place due to COVID-19 concerns, her office will collect items to benefit the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence and International Women’s House.
Officials are asking the community to drop off cleaning supplies, paper products and undergarments of all sizes for women and children, according to a news release. The donation drive will take place Oct. 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. outside of the Porter Stanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, which is located at 3181 Rainbow Drive in Panthersville.
"It is disappointing we will not be able to gather the DeKalb community to raise awareness around domestic violence like we have done for the past three years,” Coleman-Stribling said in the release. “Now more than ever the Women’s Resource Center and International Women’s House need the support of the DeKalb community.”
Domestic violence cases are among a solicitor-general’s largest responsibilities, and Coleman-Stribling previously said those incidents account for nearly of third of all misdemeanor cases her office prosecutes in DeKalb. With the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing shutdown, authorities have recorded an uptick in domestic violence calls and cases.
The “Dancing with the DeKalb Stars” fundraiser, which featured several county leaders and community members as dancing contestants, has raised more than $50,000 since 2017 for the two domestic violence shelters, the release said. Business owners, sheriff’s deputies, nonprofit board members and local politicians participated in the event in the past.
For more information on the donation drive, visit dekalbsolicitorgeneral.com.
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